Scope

The Birren Collection of the Robert B. Haas Family Arts Library Special Collections is a special collection dedicated to color. It is not restricted to art, but includes any topic where color is involved, including paint, optics, philosophy, dyes and dyeing, design, marketing, psychology, etc. In some cases the relationship to color may simply be specimens of color printing.

Treatment of Physical Items

• Items are no longer shipped to the Technical Services Department at 344 Winchester Ave. for cataloging. The cataloger assign to do original cataloging of AOB collection may be emailed photographs of items to catalog or go to the AOB to catalog items on site.

• From time to time, items from the general collections are flagged for review to be offered to ALSC for inclusion in the AOB collection. See Workflow for Reviewing and Cataloging Items for Arts Library Special Collections.

• When working with physical items, remember that items may be fragile and valuable. Handle with care and don’t leave them exposed to damage.

• Make sure your hands are clean when handling.

• Washing of hands after cataloging and processing is also recommended since many of the color samples are lead-based paint.

• Keep items well away from liquids or other things that may spill.

• If a barcode label is on a strip or envelope, do not transfer it to the front cover or anywhere else on the item.

• Items in non-Latin scripts should be distributed to catalogers with language expertise for cataloging. There are a lot of East Asian (primarily Japanese) color-related publications. These items should be distributed to catalogers with CJK expertise for cataloging.

Cataloging in OCLC

• All cataloging work, at the exception of of local notes, subjects, and access points should be done in OCLC Connexion or WorldShare Record Manager.

Vendor, Publisher, and Creator Descriptions

• Nothing is more useful when cataloging Birren Collection items than a description of the item by a vendor, publisher or artist.

• If ALSC has any of these, they should provide the information with the item, since a lot of time will be saved in entering descriptive details in the bibliographic record.

• Descriptions provided by ALSC should be included when returning items.

• If none have been provided, search online to see if the information is available.

• If vendor notes are used, be sure to take out the advertising elements.

Standards

• Follow RDA instructions and LC-PCC PSs for original cataloging description and access.

• OCLC Cataloging copy using DCRM is accepted.

• Member copy cataloging under AACR2 or pre-AACR2 rules is accepted if it is adequate.

• Under current OCLC guidelines, catalogers have the option to update any non-RDA record to RDA and to create hybrid records.

• When working with cataloging copy, review for correct application of standards and possible errors, e.g. an added entry that duplicates the main entry.

Publication Date

• Resources to be cataloged include large numbers of ephemera, such as catalogs or circulars of products related to color. A problem with many of these is lack of a publication date. Sometimes the history of the company offers a clue for determining date range.

• Dates are sometimes hidden or implied in the company’s control number for the catalog.

• A date range can sometimes be determined from information about the company recorded in the NARs.

• If the company still exists, it may have its history on its website, which can help determine the order and date of name changes and other significant dates.

• Don’t rule out Wikipedia, which sometimes has articles on quite obscure small businesses.

• Only use vendor supplied dates as a last resort. 

Carrier

• Be familiar with the RDA rules for sheets, since a lot of the advertising ephemera will be in that form. Don’t forget to use “sheet” in $a of 338 rather than "volume."

• RDA specifies that if "folded" sheet is in extent (300 $a), it means that the item is to be read in its folded form, so you need to include the page count as a subunit qualifier.

• Dimensions should be height only. If, on the other hand, the folded sheet is intended to be read unfolded, extent should be the number of sheet(s) without "folded" and without a parenthetical subunit count. Instead, dimensions should be height x width folded to height x width. AACR2 usually has a comma preceding "folded" in $c; RDA does not.

Access Points

• Cataloging Birren materials may involve extensive use and assignment of corporate body authorized access points, since many of the items are catalogs of companies.

• The same corporate body will often be needed for multiple items. For that reason, take the time to update the Name Authority Record (NAR) to RDA and to establish the new name if possible. Many of the AACR2 NARs are RDA compliant. Consequently, reviewing a NAR is often quick, a simple matter of changing the descriptive cataloging rules in the 008 field to z and inserting $e rda in 040.

• Some personal names for older material have been established as undifferentiated. In such cases, a NAR must be created with additions to the name for differentiation, and the citation for the person must be removed from the undifferentiated name authority record.

• When reviewing cataloging copy, ensure all authorized access points represent the correct entity.

• Control all access points that are established.

Subjects

• The range of LCSH color terms is unfortunately rather limited. The Getty Art & Architecture Thesaurus (AAT) is a helpful addition. Catalogers are also encouraged to propose new LCSHs if needed.

• The use of other vocabularies, such as LCGFT, and RBMS Controlled Vocabulary for Rare Materials Cataloging, is encouraged.

• When working with copy, review all subjects for their accuracy.

• At least one subject that relates to color should be specified in the bibliographic record. Sometimes this could be simply "Color" or Colors". This is a requirement for both original and copy cataloging. However, only record this subject in the OCLC record if you would also include it if you were not cataloging for the Birren Collection. Otherwise, add it only to the Alma record.

• Use subjects [theme] in art such as Color in art, Red in art, for books about the color in art or exhibition catalogs. Do not use such subjects for artists' books.

• Control subjects when possible (LCSHs, LCGFTs, AATs).

Classification

• Always use the Library of Congress classification.

• Several frequently used LCC numbers related to color, especially in ND, are obsolete, so be careful about basing your 050 _4 on older items found in Alma.

• We follow LC shelflisting guidelines. For corporate main entry, the main entry Cutter is supposed to stay the same for all records entered under the corporate body. Do not tweak the Cutter to accommodate different works entered under the same body. There has been some inconsistency in the application of this rule. If more than one Cutter was used, choose the predominant one. 

• The Cutter used for the company is also used for subordinate units of the body when the subordinate unit is the main entry. 

• Use a truncated call number search to determine the Cutter used for the corporate body locally. For multiple works published in the same year, add a work letter to the date to break the conflict; lower case in 050 _4, upper case in 852. Example: Sherwin Williams Company catalogs under TP937.S55. 

• If a new corporate Cutter needs to be created, the number should be in the correct shelflist order. This is exceptional for local policy only because the collection commonly will own multiple works entered under the same corporate body.

Replacing, Producing and Exporting Records

• When done updating a record in Connexion, replace and update the holding (one action).

• When done updating a record in WorldShare Record Manager, replace the record and set the WorldCat holding (two actions).

• Export the record to Alma. For detailed information, see https://yalelibrary.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/YLM/pages/168165390

Working with records in Alma

Importing Records to Alma

• When overlaying an Alma record, retain all local notes and subjects added by acquisition staff to the In Process record.

Local Notes (590)

• Retain local notes added by acquisition staff to the acquisition record, but modify them when necessary to phrase them more objectively or edit them for clarity.

• Add local notes for the Birren copies if needed.

• Record copy numbers (copy x of y copies) as well as presence of autograph. The colophon is a good source for notes.

• If the record also includes Beinecke local notes, the Beinecke local notes are always to be given first.

Local Subjects (69X)

• Retain local subjects added by acquisition staff to the acquisition record, but edit them when necessary.

• Add local subjects when needed.

• If book is autographed by the artist or author, add:

• For more information, see Local Subject Headings (aka Special Collections Subjects) and Provenance Notes and Tracings.

Local Access Point (710)

• Add the following local access point:

Holding Records

The Alma Library code for items in the Birren Collection is arts.

The Alma location Location is artbirr.

For more information about working with holdings records in Alma, see https://yalelibrary.atlassian.net/wiki/x/IQAWFg and Working with Holdings Records

Item Records

• Create and item record for each item in the collection.

• Items consisting of many pieces and/or volumes are usually boxed. Only the box receives a barcode.

For more information about working with item records in Alma, see https://yalelibrary.atlassian.net/wiki/x/UQDyFQ, https://yalelibrary.atlassian.net/wiki/x/RYHyFQ and Working with Item Records

Guidelines and Examples for Cataloging Some Commonly Encountered Birren Collection Items

• Offprint and articles: see the OCLC guidelines for cataloging OffPrints and Detached Copies.

• Three-dimensional artifacts have been acquired for the Birren Collection: see: Historia de los colores by Capretti [an embroidery picture] and Michel Eugène Chevreul, membre l'academie des sciences [a medal].

• Paint chip samples: When recording content type in the 336 field, if the resource is basically a color card or sheet with paint samples, use your judgment as to whether to code the paint samples as "still image" or "other". Often when the resource is considered to be a sheet, "text" is used in 336, sometimes without a second 336 for the samples--the paint chips are considered to be secondary illustrations. A frequent example of subjects for a paint catalog would be: Corporate name--Catalogs; Paint--Catalogs; Colors.

• For specimens, see OLAC Best Practices for Cataloging Objects Using RDA and MARC 21.